New Kid on the Evil Block
by The Dooms
Summary: Due to some of his employees quitting, Cortex decides to bring in some new blood to the N. Crew, and the guy seems rather interested in Nina. Features characters of JenL, the best Crash Artist Ever! Rated for safety.
1. Introductions and Friction

A/N: Hello, all you people who read Crash fics! This is my second attempt at a Nina-centered Crash fic. I'm honestly having trouble with a good plot, but I think I've got something worth writing about. Okay, Nina has graduated from the Academy of Evil, and now works with her uncle, Neo. Unfortunately, due to many old villains quitting (Like Pinstripe), Neo has to hire a new kid to pick up the slack. Also of note, all the characters in this fic are in their normal designs, not their "Crash of the Titans" designs. On with it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Crash Bandicoot or anything associated with it. Slash is mine. Caco, Chainhinge and Lockbolt belong to JenL, the awesomest Crash Artist out there, and have been used with full permission, so no angry reviews accusing me of piracy.

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In a quaint trio of islands slightly southeast of Austrailia, a castle on the most eastern was filled with noise.

"NINA!!!" The voice yelled. "NINAAAAA!!!"

"I'm standing right here, Uncle Neo." The cybernetic former student of the Academy of Evil said, her mechanical hands plugged into her ears.

"Oh. Sorry." The short, stocky, yellow-skinned, blue-haired mad scientist with a distinctive "N" on his forehead, Dr. Neo Cortex, turned to face his relative. "That was awfully evil of you to sneak up behind me, Nina."

"Whatever. Is there something you wanted to announce, or something? I kinda have stuff to do." Nina drawled, rolling her eyes.

"Right. Well, due to many of my original mutants deserting me-"

"Like Pinstripe and Koala Kong?"

"Yes, now shush. I have seen fit to bring in some...new blood into the N. Team." Cortex gestured to a closed door. "You can come in now."

"Finally...It was bursting in there."

Nina gaped. An image of teenage evil walked into the room. A red overshirt decorated with skulls and black fire. A pair of sunglasses obscuring his eyes with blood red lenses. A single fingerless glove with a red "X" mark on his right hand. A shag of spiked-back brown hair, which showed his widow's peak. Black sneakers and blue jeans. And finally, a mechanical claw, with five sharp metal fingers had replaced his left hand, which he was running through the mass of spikes on his head.

"Nina, this is-"

"If you don't mind, Boss, I'll introduce myself." The boy said as he walked further forward. "Markus Kaine. Call me Slash." He extended his metal hand, which Nina reluctantly gripped after a few moments.

"Nina Cortex." Nina icily replied as she strengthened her grip on her new co-worker's claw, hoping to test him. Slash seemed unfazed as his mechanical hand almost bent under the pressure, but then Nina felt her own hand being squeezed, with the added annoyance of his fingers digging into her. As if coming to a truce, the two disconnected their handshake.

"Wonderful! You two are getting along greatly!" Cortex clapped his hands together gleefully. "I'm off to do bad things! TA-TA!!" And with that, he pranced out of the room.

"What a wonderful display of evil." Slash made a motion to spit on the ground. "Pathetic and disgusting."

"Tell me about it." Nina crossed her arms. Silence reigned for a few more minutes, before Slash turned around.

"Well, this has proven interesting. I hope to see you soon, Nina." Slash grinned as he typed in the passcode to the door.

"Where are you going?" Nina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just saying hello to the rest of my co-workers." Slash's grin grew wider as the door shut.

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Dr. Nefarious Tropy stood in his laboratory, working on his latest invention.

"Greetings, Nefarious." A voice rang. Tropy didn't react. Not a jump, not a flinch. "I'm not surprised you know I'm here."

"The fabrics of time have told me. Hello, Slash. And here, you call me Dr. Tropy." Tropy replied icily, turning to face the boy. "Now how did you get in here?"

"Cortex gave me the passcodes to every room here. I must say, a man of your power, working for a pitiful man like Cortex? For shame." Slash sneered at the time-manipulator.

"I am fulfilling the purpose the higher-ups have given me. Now, what are you doing here!?" Tropy demanded.

"What's the matter Tropy? Upset that you don't know everything for once? I'll tell you. I'm here for the same reason you are. To fulfill my purpose. I've got big plans, and if you get in my way, then I can and will destroy you." Slash had walked forward and put his face into Tropy's.

"I'd like to see you try, brat." Tropy said calmly.

"Abrakadoom." And before anything else could seemingly happen, Tropy was flung into the wall with a 'CLANG!'. "I warned you. I've become more powerful since the Academy, Professor." Slash dusted off his left sleeve. "And once this is over, I will be the one running things. Goodbye. See ya." And with that, he turned around, and was gone.

"I'll have to watch out for him." Tropy grumbled as he stood up, a bit shakily. "He has gotten stronger. We may have a problem."

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"Oi, mate. Pass me that book by your foot." The dingo-crocodile hybrid Dingodile said, pointing a claw at said tome.

"Ssssssure thing, Dingodile." The reptile samurai Komodo Joe replied as he tossed the book to the hybrid, before returning to his exercises.

"Greetings, fellow co-workers." Slash said as he opened the door to the "Minion's Rooms." "My name is Slash. I'm new."

"How preciousssss..." Komodo Joe sneered. "The kid probably can't even match N. Gin."

"I'd be careful about saying those things to me, Joe." A dagger found itself impaled in the wall, an inch from Joe's snout. "It's not smart."

"Now, now. We don't wanna fight on the first day, mates." Dingodile appeased. "I for one am pleased to meet you Slash. Come have a seat by me." Slash obeyed. "So, what can you do? Cortex only makes or hires the best."

"Somehow I doubt that." Slash deadpanned, nodding a head across the room, where Komodo Moe was reading a book upside down, and Tiny was playing with blocks. "But you seem a very intelligent individual, so I will tell you my qualifications. I am skilled in magic, physics, metallurgy, biology, swordfighting, and necromancy."

"That's quite a long list, mate." Dingodile said as he flipped a page in his book. "You are well-qualified indeed."

Slash stood up. "Well, I'll stop by later. I've got some business to attend to." And he was gone by the next time Dingodile looked up.

"Hey, mate." Dingodile called to Joe. "You notice anything funny about our new co-worker?"

"Yesssssss..." Joe hissed as he tossed his sword at a target, hitting the bulls-eye. "He is very sssstrange...I expect much from him."

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"Excellent." Slash grinned as he walked into his room, where a few bits of machinery sat on a desk. One of Cortex's out-dated Spy-Eyes was sitting on his workbench. He pressed the button, and the device came to life and split itself into two smaller, but still fully functional spy-eyes. "Go."

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A man in his forties stood in the middle of the lab, examining the beakers and labels, mixing them, when suddenly, something flew in and hovered above his workdesk.

"W-w-w-w-w-what's g-g-g-g-going on?" Dr. Nitrous Brio stuttered frantically. The Spy-eye activated, and a huge version of Slash's face appeared.

"Hello, Nitrous. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Slash, and you have some information that I need."

"I-i-i-i-i-If it's about the c-c-c-c-crystals, ask C-c-c-c-c-Cortex. He kn-kn-knows more."

"It's not the crystals that interest me, Brio. It's...Something else." Slash's holographic head grinned.

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Nina raised an eyebrow as she heard a knock on her bedroom door, finding Slash leaning against the doorway in a manner which she found unfairly cool.

"What are you doing here?" She growled, getting in his face. "NO ONE comes to MY room. Not even Uncle Cortex." the last sentence was said in a whisper, but Slash could still hear it.

"Oh, be still, my heart!" Slash put his metal hand to his heart, faking pain. "The evil princess is in a bad mood! Spare me from her wrath!" Nina frowned.

"Keep up the theatrics, and I'll punch you in the face."

"See, now that's where our views tend to differ." Slash smirked. Nina growled and punched her hand at him, but Slash's claw interecepted the blow and grappled her metallic appendage. "See, we're almost evenly matched. I know far too much battle tactics, whereas you have the advantage of more than one mechanical arm. It's a stalemate." He pushed her hand back easily. "Actually, I found out we're going to be living down the hall from one another, so I just wanted to speak to you."

"Then speak." Nina crossed her arms and frowned.

"Is that anyway to speak to a guest?" Slash said, once again pretending to be hurt. "I didn't take you as a unicorn type." Indeed, while most of Nina's room was decorated with blacks and gargoyles, along with mutant stuffed animals, there was a sketch-pad on her dresser which held a drawing of a unicorn.

"GET TO THE POINT!" Nina growled.

"Alright, alright. Well, actually, I just wanted to get to know you better. You seem like the kind of girl that I could tolerate."

"I feel so privileged." Nina drawled.

"Oh, stop with the sarcasm, I'm being serious." Slash said as he waved his claw idly. "What do you enjoy? Besides being evil, of course."

"I like Caco."

"What's a Cake-O?" Slash asked.

"It's a name that means devil." Nina rolled her eyes as she moved away from the door, and Slash followed. "This is Caco." And indeed, nestled in the pillows was a bandicoot dozing away happily. "Uncle Cortex got her for me for Christmas."

"Y'know, call me crazy, but Cortex only really seems to care about you."

"I know. It's rather annoying. But he's saved my life a few times, so it all rounds out."

"I guess so. Well, continue."

Nina sighed, wishing for this to end. "Well, I like pasta, and I dislike people who keep asking questions." She growled.

"Alright, alright. I get the idea. It was wonderful talking to you." Slash waved his metal claw and walked out the door. Nina waited until she was sure he was gone, and then she walked to her bookshelf and retrieved a tome decorated with a skull. She quickly placed it on the ground and started chanting. Once completed, a voice filled the room.

"Hello, Nina. It's been a while since last we spoke."

"Hi, Locky. How've ya been?" Nina replied.

"Don't call me that. And I've been well. I'm sorry I haven't been back recently. Chainhinge had some assignments for me."

"No problem, Lockbolt. When can we expect you back?"

"Tomorrow. Keep a summoning circle handy. Anything interesting happen today?" Lockbolt asked.

"We have a new kid. He's human, and he's obnoxious. He keeps wanting to talk to me, no matter how many times I repel him." Nina crossed her arms.

"He'll grow on you, I'm sure." Lockbolt's voice seemed to chuckle. "I will see you tomorrow, Nina."

"Yeah. See ya." And the connection was dropped.

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"Well, that was interesting." Slash said as he grabbed his metallic hand by the wrist and detached it, leaving the wrist part. "Everything is coming together. Soon, my plan will be complete." Slash then pulled on a pair of flannel pajamas, and noting the moon hanging high in the sky, went to bed.

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A/N: How was that? Not bad, huh? Tell me now, I NEED TO KNOW.


	2. Lockbolt, Caco, and AWKWAAARD

A/N: I am enjoying this fic a lot, and I think it's one of the best ones I've ever done. Anyway, in this chapter, it's mainly a few awkward moments sprinkled liberally with fluff.  
Disclaimer: I own Slash and nothing else. Lockbolt and Caco belong to JenL, the most awesome Crash artist. EVER.  
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Ripper Roo hopped down the hallway, headed for the residency area, laughing all the way. He reached a door, jumped in the air, and roundhouse-kicked it open.  
Slash was awake instantly as Ripper Roo jumped around in his room like a cartoon alarm clock, his agitation growing by the second. He ducked his head under the pillows, and covered his entire body in the blanket, but the deranged animal still didn't leave.

"That's it!" Slash threw off the covers, grabbed Ripper Roo by the neck, and forced him to stare into his eyes. Ripper Roo stopped struggling instantly. "That's better. Now, stop jumping around my room." Ripper Roo was gently lowered to the ground, and he remained stationary. "Good. Now step outside." the insane kangaroo obeyed. "Now, when I snap my fingers, you will not remember coming in here, but you won't do it again." He was about to close the door, and then he snapped his fingers and closed the door immediately. Ripper Roo instantly snapped out of it, looked around, and then hopped away.

Slash growled as he looked at the clock with bleary eyes. 7:30 in the morning. That marsupial will pay for this. He wearily got back into bed, grumbling all the way.  
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Slash slowly woke up at 10 A.M, feeling much better and a lot less merciless. He immediately grabbed his sunglasses and pulled them on. He grabbed a towel and a change of clothes, and slowly walked to the public bathroom (Luckily, only Nina and Slash shared this particular one) and turned on the shower.

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Nina woke up with a yawn and a strech of her metal arms. "Ahhh," She smirked. "Another beautiful day for destruction." She kept her hair down, but kept the hair pins that kept her style in place in her hands. She grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom. She knocked, to make sure someone was in there. 

"WAIT A MINUTE, WILL YA!?" Slash's voice yelled back through the door, and Nina huffed. She leaned against the wall facing the door, and was surprised at the amount of steam generated when the door opened, and Slash walked out. "Christ, can't you wait, Nina?"

Nina was too dumbfounded to answer. '_Oh my god, he's naked under that._' Indeed, Slash was only sporting a towel around his waist, his hair was wetted down in a mussy pattern that was fairly adorable, his metal hand was polished and shiny, and the lenses of his sunglasses were clean of fog.

"Get out of my way." Nina grumbled after getting to her senses, shoving Slash out of the way, who barely seemed to respond.  
Slash was too busy staring at Nina's lovely black-blue locks waving as she stomped into the bathroom, and how her nightgown, although made of flannel, clung to her body and made her very attractive. Before he knew what he was doing, Slash ran into his bedroom, dressed himself, grabbed a slice of paper, wrote something down, and tacked it to her door before running away.

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Nina stepped out of the shower, feeling rejuvenated and with her hair up in it's usual style. As she walked back to her room, she saw a note, right above her doorknob... 

_You look better with your hair down._ There was nothing else. No signature, no handwriting that could clue her in to who had written it. It could've been anyone besides Ripper Roo, who couldn't write at all. Nina self-consciously poked her hair, and then walked in.  
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"Hey, DD." Slash said as he walked into the Castle Cortex library, where you could usually find Dingodile curled up with some poetry or Shakespeare, or something along those lines. 

"G'day, mate." Dingodile smiled good-naturedly. "So, how was your sleep?" 

"If your blue nut hadn't round-house-kicked my door open and hopped around like a loon, I'd say like a log. But he did, so I'm going to say, terribly." Slash replied as he grabbed his own book and began reading in a large, plush chair. 

"Well, how've you and Nina been getting on, Slash? I heard you yelling from here." The hybrid smirked. 

"Sucker for gossip, aren't you, DD?" Slash said as he looked up from his book. "Look, I don't wanna talk about this. Can't we just read in amiable silence?" 

"O' course, mate." Dingodile resumed his reading.

"Hello boys." came a female voice as Nina walked into the room, her hair down. Slash could barely prevent his jaw from dropping. Her hair appeared silky and smooth, not a trace of oil to be found.

Dingodile wasn't affected in the slightest. "'Ello, Nina. What book do you need today?"

"Hmmm...How about the one with the hilariously evil heroes?" Nina asked.

"O' course. Should've known you'd like one like that." Dingodile smirked as he gave Nina a book decorated with a strange person in blue robes, a straw hat, and a completely shadowed face, complete with two glowing yellow eyes.

"Thanks, Dingodile." She grabbed the book, and then turned to Slash, noticing the strain he was using to attempt to keep his composure. "Oh, and thanks for the compliment and the letter." She smirked as Slash blushed a bit before turning away and leaving.

"So, leaving love notes for Nina, ey?" Dingodile smirked.

"Shut up." Slash growled as he lifted his book up to his eyes. Dingodile chuckled, but obeyed.

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Nina was sitting at the foot of her bed, the book in her hands, when Slash walked by her open door and stopped.

"Hi, Slash." She said innocently. Slash didn't notice.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"It was written all over your face at the library. Besides, no one here writes that clearly." Nina said as she grabbed a bit of chalk on the ground. "Stay here for a sec, there's someone you should meet." Nina quickly drew a summoning circle, Slash watching with his undivided attention. "ARISE!!" Nina yelled, and the room was filled with bright light. When it cleared, a teenaged boy was sitting in the circle. He was wearing the Academy of Evil uniform (Black shirt, red tie), a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers. His hair was jet-black, and stuck straight up.

"Hello, Nina." The boy said as he turned to Nina, smirking.

"Hi, Locky." Nina noticed the mischievious glint in Locky's eyes as he walked over, so she allowed him to put a hand to the wall right next to her head and let their heads lean into each other. Closer...closer...

"ENOUGH!!" Slash yelled. "Cripes, couldn't you two wait until I leave the room, first? Stupid couples..."

Locky and Nina looked at each other, and then laughed.

"What's so funny?" Slash's eyes narrowed.

"We're not together, Slashy." Nina mocked, which made Slash's eyebrow twitch. "We were just messing with you. Besides, Locky here ain't even human."

"He sure looks human." Slash replied.

"Don't be fooled, Slash." Said Locky, turning to face him. "It's merely an illusion." And right on cue, Locky's body grew to a magnificent height of 7 foot 6 inches, and his clothes faded away, turning his skin gray. His eyes turned pure black with red pupils, and his hands turned into long claws. He grew a set of backwards knees, and finally, large leathery wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. "You see the true me before you."

"A gargoyle? Fascinating." Slash said as he extended a hand. "My name is Markus. Call me Slash."

Lockbolt grasped the hand and shook it. "My true name is incomprehensible to humans, but translated it is Lockbolt. NOT Locky." Lockbolt turned to gaze at Nina, who smirked. "You know, Nina told me you were obnoxious, but you seem polite enough to me."

Slash looked hurt, but it quickly changed to a grin. "Is it my fault I like to look into hearts and minds? That I wish to have friends instead of enemies? She's the only one who refuses to be my friend. It hurts, being the only teenager here who's nice." Nina fixed Slash a glare that said he was dead meat.

"Now that you've met, you can leave, Slash." She growled.

"Fine, fine." Slash turned and waved. "See ya Nina, Lockbolt." He left, and the door shut behind him.

"So, what do you think?" Nina asked once he was gone.

"He's strong. I sensed a deep power within him. He isn't evil though, so I can't devour him, no matter how much you want me to." Nina crossed her arms. "I don't see why you resent him."

"He's rude, pig-headed, egotistical, annoying as hell..."

"And yet he still tries to be your friend. He seems to geniunely want to know you. Who else besides your uncle and myself have ever wanted to know who you are underneath?" Lockbolt said sagely.

"Enough. This discussion is over."

"Fine." Lockbolt shrugged. "I need to speak to Cortex about his plans for the bandicoots."

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Slash sat at his desk, a map of the three islands spread around him.

"How am I going to get one?" He asked no one. "That bandicoot has gotten all of them before anyone else can so much as grab ONE!" He fumed silently.

Suddenly, the intercom rang out, carrying Cortex's voice rang through the castle. "Attention, everyone! Uka Uka and Lockbolt have returned, each with a plan to destroy those pesky bandicoots! Prepare for battle!!" The intercom cut short, and then turned back on, a more sinister voice sounding through the speakers.

"DO NOT FAIL ME!!" The demented mask Uka Uka yelled. "And new kid, this is your chance to prove yourself. Screw up, and you're GONE!!" And that was that.

"Oh, don't you worry, Uka Uka..." Slash grinned maniacally as he grabbed something out of his closet, and strapped them to his back. "This'll be a cinch."

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A/N: Wow, two chapters in two days. I'm on a roll again! Soon, my other fics will update, so don't be scared. I'm not stagnant anymore. This thing will probably at least 6 chapters long. And most of it is PURE FLUFF. Anyway, see ya! LEAVE A REVIEW!!!


	3. Battle D' Amour

A/N: Okay, Chapter 3, baby! In this chapter, Slash, Nina, and Lockbolt face off against the bandicoots. And plenty of fluff. Enjoy.

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"Alright, so what's the plan?" Slash asked, arms crossed.

"Basically, we don't ANNOUNCE what we're doing with the fanfare Uncle Cortex is known for." Nina frowned right back. She wasn't happy with being assigned with Slash, and wasn't hiding her contempt in the slightest. Slash, Lockbolt, and herself were standing on a cliff overlooking a primitive coliseum-like clearing in the middle of the jungle. Uka Uka declared that there would be three-man teams working the path to Cortex's newest plan if the bandicoots were to catch wind of it. The teams were; Komodo Moe, Joe, and Ripper Roo, Tiny, Dingodile, and Papu Papu, and (not counting themselves) Cortex, N. Gin, and Tropy.

"Well, that's a nice change of pace." Slash said, growing tired of Nina's attitude.

"Look, if we're going to fight Crash and company, we'll need to work together." Lockbolt cleanly interrupted. "And if we're going to work together, can't we get along?"

"I guess you're right." Slash said as he turned to Nina and pulled a clever weasel manuever. Apologizing. "I'm sorry I was so blatantly rude when we first met, Nina. I'd really like to make it up to you sometime. Do you accept my humble apology?"

Nina thought it over for a few seconds. She didn't appreciate his sarcasm at the end, but otherwise his apology seemed earnest. "Fine. Let's just win this thing so Uka Uka won't roast us."

"Lovely." Slash said as he reached into his pockets and pulled out a folder. "I pulled this data directly from Castle Cortex's supercomputer. The best way to beat your enemy is to know your enemy, so I searched the computer for data on Team Bandicoot, and this is what I got. Crash is the most unpredictable one, it seems. He's just as likely to spin you into explosives as he is to chuck fruit at you. Coco is a mechanical genius, and is always studying martial arts. Her best move is a drop-kick which can cause a shockwave. Crunch is the tough cookie here. He was designed to match Crash in everyway. He's monstrously strong, and despite his large size, he's pretty fast. Not as fast as Crash, but fast. Here's my idea. I'll take Crash, because if I don't Uka Uka will roast me, no matter if we win or lose." No one objected to that. "Nina will fight Coco because she's probably going to go for you anyway, God knows why." Nina nodded, interested. "And by process of elimination, Lockbolt will face Crunch. His shadow melding abilities can slow him down." Just then, the walkie-talkie connected to Nina's belt started ringing. Nina grabbed it and held it to her ear.

"What? We're kinda busy."

"Oi, this is Dingodile, mates. The Komodo Brothers and Ripper Roo were defeated, and the bandicoots are headed our way. We'll report on if we win or lose." Dingodile's voice rang out.

"Roger that, Double-D. Nina out." Nina cut off the connection. "Well, now what?"

Slash rubbed his chin, and then drew a deck of cards. "21?"

Lockbolt thought for a moment. "Sure, why not...What's 21?"

Slash sighed and began to explain the rules...

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Lockbolt had gotten the hang of the game quickly, and had even won a handful of times, but Nina was the current leader with 10 to Slash's 8 and Lockbolt's 5.

"Alright Slash, deal." Slash was about to do so when the walkie-talkie went off.

"What's the word, Double-D?" Slash asked.

"They pasted us, mates." Dingodile's voice answered. "Stay on your toes, mates. They're still tough."

"Roger that, Slash out." The connection was cut and Slash immediately put the cards away. "We have to get ready. Find a position and strike." Nina and Lockbolt nodded, and scattered.

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"Whoa!" Crash shouted as they approached the clearing.

"I know, Big Brother!" Coco said enthusiastically. "This place is ancient, and yet it remains untouched by Cortex."

"We might wanna be careful." Crunch replied cautiously. "We could jinx it." Crunch tried to take a step forward, but found himself stuck. His foot was melted into the shadows of a nearby tree, restricting his movement. "What the-?"

"ATTACK!!" Slash jumped from the top of the cliff, metal hand aimed straight for Crash's face. Luckily, the bandicoot dodged at the last moment.

"Ack!" Coco yelled as Nina extended her arms and successfully decked her in the face.

"Score 1 for Team Us." Slash said as he dodged all of Crash's spin attacks. "What's the matter, Crash? Surprised?" Crash didn't reply, and suddenly, he slid. Slash's eyes widened, but he was able to jump over the attack and punt Crash away like he was a football. "How ya holdin' up, Lockbolt?"

"Just fine." Lockbolt replied, grinning as he took a slice out of Crunch, who tried to punch back, but the gargoyle was too quick. That's when Slash noticed something.

"LOOK OUT!!!" The sun was moving, and the shadows were moving with it. If the shadows left Crunch's foot, he'd be able to get it out just fine.

"Huh?" That was it. Crunch pulled his leg out, and laid a monstrous right hook to Lockbolt's jaw. The gargoyle went flying, and Crunch laid a fine right cross to the chest, which made the gargoyle crumple and pass out.

"LOCKBOLT!!" Slash yelled. He looked to Nina, and before he could react, Nina extended her arms, hoping to hit Coco again. But the female bandicoot wasn't dumb enough to fall for it twice. She jumped in the air, and with great force, drop-kicked Nina in the head. Slash's eyes widened as she went down without a sound other than the dull 'thump' from flesh hitting dirt. "Nina..." All three bandicoots were closing in on Slash, who just stood there. "NINA!!! ABRAKADOOM!!!" And faster than the eye could see, he was right in front of Coco.

"What the-?" Too late. Slash laid a great number of hits in the space of a few seconds, grabbed her foot, and started spinning, letting centrifugal force take over, hurling Coco away and into a tree, knocking her out. Crunch and Crash seemed to freeze as Slash turned towards them, a maniacal grin on his face, showing off a set of pointed teeth. Crunch didn't know what happened next, but he felt five sharp points enter his body, and then the feeling of being lifted. Slash had stabbed him in the stomach with his pointed metal claws, and then lifted him into the air. He then ran straight for a huge rock, and smashed the burly bandicoot into it. Crunch screamed in pain, and then crumpled.

"Whoa." Crash said as he hastily dodged all of Slash's attacks. Slash growled and attempted to clothesline him, but Crash ducked...only to be met with a knee to his snout, making him back up, clutching his bruised nose. Slash then ran forward and grabbed Crash's head in his metal claw. Crash screamed as Slash ran with his hand crushing Crash into the dirt, and then jumped high in the air, and quickly dropping. Crash stopped moving.

Slash breathed deeply, his real hand on his forehead, breathing deeply. He stared at the unconscious bodies of the bandicoots. "This just won't do." He muttered as he sighed and drew a pentagram in the dirt. Dragging the bandicoots there, he started chanting. Almost instantly, their wounds healed. He then rubbed out the symbol, grabbed Nina and Lockbolt gently, and scurried away.

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"Ow..." Nina said as she woke up to a splitting headache. "What happened?"

"We got our tails kicked." Slash said from the little fire he'd started up. They beat us and left us unconscious. Coco kicked you in the spine, Crunch laid a good ol' one-two to Lockbolt, and he only just woke up. Crash spun me into a boulder lying nearby."

"He's right. I saw the evidence myself." Lockbolt grumbled as he sat on a log.

"Darn those bandicoots." Nina growled. "Why aren't we back at the castle? How long has it been?"

"Not long. I'd guess about 5 minutes. One sec." Slash drew the walkie-talkie and turned it on.

""Yes?" Tropy's voice came in.

"This is Slash. Crash and Company whooped us.Get ready."

"Fine. Tropy out." And the connection was lost.

"Well, that was rude." Slash said sourly.

"I'm going to sleep. That bandicoot will pay..." Lockbolt muttered as his wings wrapped around him. Soon enough, light snores started emanating from the leathery cocoon.

"Nina..." Slash said as he scratched the back of his neck. He didn't know why, but lying to her...it just seemed not right.

"What?" Nina snapped, glaring.

"Nevermind. I'm sorry..." He started walking away.

Nina sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just stressed that we lost. What did you want to say?"

"The truth is...we won."

"What do you mean? I remember being knocked out, and I remember Locky getting punched...But that leaves..." Nina's eyes widened considerably.

"Yeah. Me. Once you two were knocked out, the bandicoots started ganging up on me. I got so angry, that I snapped. Coco was easy. A few hits, and a toss, and she was out." He lifted his metal claw, showing the blood on it. "I stabbed Crunch in the gut and rammed him into a boulder. As for Crash, I grabbed his head and slammed him into the rocks a few times."

"Then how come we're here?"

"After using so much energy, I passed out." He figured a little lie like that would be okay. He didn't want her to know yet. "And when I woke up, you two were still unconscious and the bandicoots were gone."

"Oh." Nina rubbed her arms self-consciously. She then walked up and gave Slash a quick hug, not noticing him blush. "Thanks for getting so mad." She chuckled as she let go, and luckily Slash had his face under control.

"Your welcome. Just don't tell anyone. Uka Uka would kill me if he found out I couldn't stay conscious enough to kill them." Slash smiled.

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Just as predicted, Crash, Coco, and Crunch defeated the three scientists, and the plans were ruined. And Uka Uka was mad.

"WHY DO I PUT UP WITH YOU FOOLS!?" the mask roared.

"Well, all three of the bandicoots were here. They separated us." Cortex tried to reason.

"You're lucky you're the most evil group on the planet, Cortex, or you'd all be nothing but a pile of carpet sweepings right now!!!" Uka Uka left Cortex and zoomed into Slash's face. "And YOU!! You deserve no mercy, newcomer. What do you have to say?"

Slash looked straight at Uka Uka without fear. "I have nothing to say. They lost by a fluke. If the shadows hadn't moved, Lockbolt would've killed Crunch, and then we could both kill Coco and Crash easily. As for Nina, she just made a mistake."

Uka Uka didn't like the fact that the boy showed no fear when Cortex shook in his boots whenever he floated into the room. "Fine. I will spare you, this time." he then sullenly floated away. After a few moments of just staring at each other, the mutants, scientists, gargoyle, and teenagers went their separate ways.

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In Nina's room, Lockbolt watched Nina, who was spacing out.

"Nina?" He asked.

Nina jumped visibly, and then turned to her gargoyle friend. "Yeah?"

"Nina, what's wrong? You've been like this since we got back to the castle."

Nina's eyes widened. _Have I really been thinking about...that?_ Her mind flashed back to when she hugged Slash, and how he was so...warm, and comfortable. She shook her head vigoruously.

"You wouldn't understand, Lockbolt...It's a...human thing." She said, hoping Lockbolt would drop it.

"You're right. I probably won't understand." Nina breathed a sigh of relief. "But that doesn't mean I can't try to."

_Crap._

"Alright...If you insist." Nina sat on the bed, and began petting Caco gently. The little bandicoot seemed to smile and pressed itself into the metal hand. "While you were asleep, me and Slash got to talking...and well...I hugged him. Shut up." Nina said, noticing Lockbolt grinning.

"I didn't say anything." The gargoyle said innocently.

"Whatever. Anyway...Now...He seems so...charming. And his spiky hair is so...adorable. I...I think I'm falling for Slash.

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Slash punched his wall, and even though it was made of solid stone, a nice-sized hole was left when he removed his claw.

"Why'd she have to do that?" He fumed as he stared at his claw. "She just made this endlessly more complicated! I came here for power, not romance!!!"

_Weren't you attracted to her all along? _His thoughts asked. _Did you not think she was beautiful after you saw her with her hair down? Weren't you mad enough to show the bandicoots your true power just today, when Nina was hurt?_

"Shut up..." Slash clutched his head. "SHUT UP!!!" He screamed and punched his desk, which was instantly reduced to splinters. There was a abrupt knocking on his door. "Yes?" He choked out.

"Slash?" Nina's voice answered, "are you alright? I heard you yelling."

Slash cursed under his breath. _Of ALL the people to hear me, it had to be her._ "Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Can I come in?"

_Oh, crud. Think fast._

"Uuuuh..." He quickly faked coughing. "I don't think you should," he coughed a few more times for good measure. "I think I'm catching something...Don't want you to get sick too." He prayed to God she bought it.

"...Alright then. I hope you feel better." She left, and Slash waited until he was absolutely sure she was gone before he breathed out that sigh of relief.

"That was close. But I can't keep it up forever...I'll have to choose eventually."

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A/N: Wow...Chapter 3. I guess because I've thought this out so many times, writing it just comes naturally. Anyway, next chapter, Nina waits on Slash (whom she believes is still sick), and Slash keeps on thinking. Meanwhile, Tropy decides to investigate. Stay tuned!


	4. Of Confrontations and Corruption

A/N: Chapter Four, people! WHOO!!! Anyway, in this chapter, we get closer to the finale, seeing as how, I intend for this to be only 5 to 7 chapters long. ENJOY!  
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The next morning, Slash opened his eyes, and immediately felt a massive pain in his head and throat. He was reaching for his sunglasses, when he suddenly started coughing violently.

"Owww..." He muttered after it was over. "Well...Mom always said if I faked being sick, it would actually happen." He was about to continue, when a knock was heard on his door. "Who is it?"

"It's Nina. I came to bring you breakfast since your sick in bed. May I come in?" Nina said. When she spoke the last sentence, Slash could detect the sarcasm, knowing that if Nina went out of her way to do something for you, you took it graciously.

"Yeah, sure." The door opened, and Nina walked in with a tray stacked with chocolate-chip pancakes, drenched in maple syrup. Slash's mouth watered. "Uuuh...One sec." Slash ducked under the covers and grabbed the shirt he was wearing the night before, seeing as how he slept shirtless. He popped back up moments later, chest covered. "Okay."

"Here ya go. I made it myself." She set the tray down on him, and then backed away as he grabbed the knife and fork expertly, and then, ate almost ravenously. _Awww...he's so...cute. _She shook her head before the thought could go any further. She instead started looking around his room, and found herself fascinated.

Swords. Every thing in his room had something to do with big, pointy, stabbing implements. A huge broadsword sat on the wall next to his bed, and a katana sat on a stand on his nighttable. A humongous wooden cleaver with bandages on the hilt sat on his dresser. What wasn't decorated with swords was usually electronic, as his dresser was stacked high with videogames and systems.

Slash, meanwhile, had completely forgotten that Nina was in the room, for he was savoring these delicious pancakes. Light and fluffy, with a light layer of peanut butter below the syrup. _Truly these are the pancakes of GODS..._ He thought as he looked at Nina for a moment. _Well...Anything she makes is likely to be the food of gods..._ Unlike Nina, Slash just rolled with the thought until his meal was over.

"Did you enjoy it?" Nina asked.

"Yes. Thank you." Fin said as he lifted the tray off of him and placed it on his end-table. That's when Nina noticed something.

"You're not wearing your sunglasses." She stated, and Slash raised an eyebrow, before finally noticing that the world was actually not different shades of red.

"Oh yeah." He grabbed a glass of water and began drinking. Nina couldn't say anything else.

_His eyes..._ Indeed, Slash's eyes were a light blue that seemed to glow in the dark. They had lit up when he was devouring the meal she had prepared, and still maintained that light. _They're beautiful._

"Hello? Earth to Nina!" Nina snapped out of it to see Slash's face right in hers. "Is there something wrong?" She blinked. "Do you want me to put the shades back on?"

"NO!" Nina almost yelled. At Slash's surprised reaction, she added. "You look better without them."

Slash smirked for a moment. "Thanks for the compliment." He coughed. "I'm gonna go back to bed. Get the door on your way out, please." He said as he rolled over in bed.

"You're welcome." Nina replied as she flipped the light switch off, and Slash's room was bathed in darkness. As soon as she was out the door, she breathed heavily. "Have a nice nap...Markus."

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Slash smirked as he pulled the covers up to his shoulders and curled up. "Thank you...Nina-chan..."

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Tropy cursed to himself as his latest problem presented itself to him. His latest attempt at magically spying on Slash had failed again. Tropy was about to curse again, when an idea popped into his mind. He quickly ran for N. Gin's lab, where the short mad scientist was working on something or other.

"N. Gin!"

"Whaaat? I'm working, can't you see that?" The missile-headed midget says irritably.

"I need to use one of your camoflauge spy-eyes for an experiment." Tropy replied calmly.

"They're on the table." Gin pointed to his desk, and Tropy grabbed one. "Just don't break it."

"Oh, I won't." Tropy farewell'd as he hopped back to his station, turning on the spy-eye.

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"Soooo..." Lockbolt said teasingly. "What happened?"

"He loved the pancakes." Nina said with a tiny little smile. "And I saw his eyes. They shined like sapphires, Lockbolt. I swear, if he weren't sick, I'd just glomp him."

"What's a glomp?" Lockbolt asked.

"It's like a hug, but with two major differences. 1, you run and tackle them into the hug. And 2, it's considered far more inappropriate."

Lockbolt made a face. "Ick."

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Slash blearily opened his eyes. Sensing something in the room with him, he quickly grabbed his glasses and affixed them to his face. "Who's there?" Nothing. "I said 'Who's there'?" Nothing. "Whatever." He slowly got out of bed, and the sweatpants he was wearing hung low a little, and suddenly, he heard a whirring sound. Slash's eyes widened, and he nonchalantly grabbed a dagger off his end-table, and with deadly precision, threw it.

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"CURSES!!" Tropy yelled. "The Spy-Eyes obliterated, and I didn't find out anything about that munchkin's plan! No documents, no blueprints, no immature doodles! It's as if it's all in...his head." Tropy swore once again. "Curses. I should've remembered that kid would have a good memory."

"Yes, you should have." Slash's tiny Spy-Eye zoomed into the room, a Slash's huge head showing prominently. "After all, I never studied, yet I made Bribery Roll at the Academy. But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

"Cease your rambling child! What is it that you're planning?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you." Slash scoffed. "I've seen enough James Bond movies to know that no good villain reveals all of his plan at once." Slash's large head grinned. "So you're just gonna have to wait and see."

"Oh, and what about Nina? Does she know?" Slash's grin ceased immediately, replaced by a big scowl. Tropy smirked, for he had the advantage.

"How do you know about that?" His eyes narrowed.

"It's simple to figure out when you're as smart as I am." Tropy placed a hand on his armored chest. "When you first met, you and Nina were practically worst enemies. And now? Now you're acting like you've been friends forever." Tropy got right in the holographic Slash head's face. "What do you think she'll do when she finds out your planning something?"

Slash glared with all the hatred he could muster, but then resumed his calm expression. "I think she'll join me. She's always had a good eye for evil, and has always wanted to be the greatest Cortex. With me, she'll have her dreams come true."

"Smug aren't you?" Tropy scowled.

"Oh, cut the crap, Professor Tropy." Slash said, and Tropy's eye twitched. "I'm smug because YOU taught me to be a villain, and YOU taught me that true villains are smug. Ironic isn't it, Professor?"

Tropy growled. "My name is Dr. Nefarious Tropy!!" He yelled at the hologram.

"Not to me. To me, you'll always be Professor T, the crack-pot old teacher who was so afraid of death, he sought to control time itself. But then you met me, someone who, after seeing something performed once, could understand it perfectly, and duplicate it much better. And when I outperformed you, they fired you, didn't they?"

"RAAAAAAAGH!!" Tropy grabbed his massive tuning fork and shot a blast of red energy at the Spy-Eye, which exploded.

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"Well. That certainly got him riled up." Slash smirked. "But as much fun as pushing the Professor's buttons is, I'm going to have to make my move soon." There was a knock at the door. "Nina, I presume?"

"Yes." Nina opened the door and walked in, Slash not objecting in the least. "Are you okay? I heard yelling."

"Oh no, that was just some poor sap I'm manipulating." He sat down on the bed, hands behind his head.

"So, are you feeling better?"

"Much better after my nap, thank you." Slash nodded.

"Markus...Can I ask you a question?" Slash raised an eyebrow. Nina had never called him by his first name before, so why should she start now?

"Sure. What is it?"

"Is there someone you...care for?" She asked. Slash froze. "You know...like, as more than an ally?"

Slash didn't know what to say. He'd never thought he'd be talking about this with Nina.

"No."

_Liar._

"Are you sure?" Nina looked like she was in tears.

"Yes."

_Liar._

"Oh..." Nina was practically whispering at this point. "I'm sorry I asked such a personal question." She left before Slash could say anything else.

"I care for nothing." At this point, it seemed as if he was trying to convince himself rather than her.

_Liar... You care for her._

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Nina ran into her room, slammed the door behind her with all the force she could muster, ran past Lockbolt, and threw herself onto the bed, where Caco sniffed her head carefully.

"...Nina?" It had taken a minute for Lockbolt to get his wits about him when he heard Nina begin to sob. "Nina, are you all right?"

"He..." Nina sobbed again, her make-up running into the pillows. "He said he didn't care for anyone...He...he doesn't care for...me..." Lockbolt smacked his forehead. Unlike most girls, Nina was almost never emotional, so when she finally was, all that pent-up rage, sadness, and etcetera exploded with the force of volcano. And Lockbolt had to quell the storm.

"Uhhh...There there..." He tried to comfort. _Stupid emotional humans...Why do I always have to look after her? _"It'll be...alright...He's probably..."

"Probably WHAT!? Contemplating how ugly and stupid I am?" Nina was now right in Lockbolt's face, and the gargoyle was honestly terrified.

"Um...No. I was gonna say he's in denial." Nina calmed down visibly and backed off. "Honestly. You humans can be so complicated! He's probably just trying to hope he's got some chance of forgetting you, and he's hoping being negative to you will keep you from liking him. OR, he could be planning something, and he doesn't wanna get involved."

"First off, when did you learn so much about human nature?" Nina asked.

"I study humans. If I ate the good ones, Chainhinge would probably kill me." Lockbolt shrugged.

"And two, why in the world would Slash be plotting something? You said it yourself, he's not evil!"

"No, I said I can sense no evil in him. It's possible he has some strange split-personality disorder, or that he's simply here to look for something, or overthrow Cortex."

"Somehow, I doubt that, Locky."

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"Why? Why am I sacrificing the plan for her? I can't care for her. I made sure that I couldn't feel any emotion." Slash glared at his mechanical hand. "Why? Why don't you work? Isn't cybernetic corruption supposed to work?"

_Well of course it is, fool. Just look at N. Gin._

"Huh?" Slash said out loud.

_Half of N. Gin's face is completely metallic. That's why he's so maniacal. His machine half and his biological half are constantly struggling._

"Who are you?" Slash asked the disembodied voice.

_Look at your hand._

Slash obeyed, and he gasped.

His metal hand had spread it's influence, and the metal was springing up his arm and headed for the rest of his body.

_I hope you enjoyed your last night as a human being...N. Hanced._

"NOOOO!!!" Slash yelled as the metal went to his face.

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"NO." Slash woke up, springing up from his bed, eyes wide with horror. He quickly recalled what had happened. After saying those things to Nina, he had collapsed on his bed. Apparently, he had a relapse of that sickness. "It was all a dream. You are not going to be a cyborg." He stood up from bed and headed for his workdesk. "Nina probably hates me now...So I guess the plan is all I've got left."

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A/N: How'd ya like 'DEM apples, huh? That was Chapter 4, ladies and gents, and since I just got back my internet for good, I was distracted. My birthday's tomorrow, so I just wanted to put this up before I get distracted by new games. Look forward to Chapter 5 soon, in which Slash's plan is unveiled! PEACE!!


	5. Awesome Power Corrupts AI

A/N: Hey there, party peoples! It's time for Chapter 5! Are you excited? cricket chirp Ingrates. I don't know why I write this anymore. Anyway, in this, we see a few more fluffy moments and the climax is reached! Hallelujah!! IT'S ALMOST OVER!!

WARNING: Minor spoilers for Crash of the Titans.

I drew inspiration from one of these scenes from JenL's "Awkward Cortex Moments". I suggest you look at them. Instant Hilarity. And in other news, I just got Crash of the Titans, so yay for me!

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Nina and Slash haven't spoken to each other over the past few days. Nina spent most of her time angsting out in her room (which no one but Lockbolt saw.), and Slash spent ALL of his time in his room, writing things down, or barring that, he'd be banging his head into the wall.

That dream was getting to him. He knew it was just a dream, but it seemed so real. It wouldn't leave his mind how the metal from his hand would spring up his arm, covering everything. He would shudder as he thought of it.

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It had been three days since Nina had asked him that seemingly innocuous question, and Nina was out of her room for once, heading for the bathroom.

"Hello, Nina!" Cortex greeted jovially.

"Outta my way." Nina mumbled as she walked by.

"Oh...Alright. I've got something to ask you, though." Cortex replied.

"What?" She growled.

"I think it's time we had a talk about the Birds and the Bees." If Nina's skin wasn't already so close to the color of White-Out, she would've paled dramatically. Instead, her eyes simply widened and became little dots. "With visual demonstration!" Cortex yelled enthusiastically, pulling out a banana and a bagel. Nina almost fainted right there, but instead opred for running the hell away before Neo noticed.

All that was left was a cloud of dust as Nina ran off and Cortex noticed.

"Huh?"

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"Oh GOD." Nina groaned, her hand on her forehead and her face a light pink color.

"Something interesting happen, I hope?" Lockbolt asked.

"Interesting for you, horrifying for me." Nina replied icily.

Lockbolt raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Oh? And I suppose you don't want to be reminded?"

"Right." Nina said, her face finally the correct color. She walked over to her bed and flopped down, snarling at the ceiling. _I wonder what he's thinking about..._ She thought idly.

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"So...One has been located. And it's close to the target too." He said with a smirk. His bright blue eyes shining as his plan was nearing completion. "Now...To put it in action."

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"Dr. Cortex!" Slash called out as he ran to the short yellow man.

"Yes, what is it Slash? I have to report to Uka Uka." Cortex replied.

"I've found a strange energy signature at the temple! It's something I've never seen before!"

"What is it?" Cortex asked, his attention caught. "A gem? A crystal? Mojo?"

"No..." Slash's eyes seemed downcast. "I don't know what it is, but it's more powerful than all three combined."

Cortex put a hand to his chin. "After I report this to Uka Uka, we'll decide what to do." He then ran off.

Slash smirked. "I can't believe he bought that."

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"Uka Uka!" Cortex called as he ran into the Mask's inner chambers, which resembled a native shaman's room.

"What is it, Cortex? Something concrete, which can help us, I hope?" The mask replied, not looking at Cortex.

"Slash has reported that a power source has appeared near the temple. It's apparently more powerful than Gems, Crystals, and Mojo combined!"

"WHAT!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!! Mojo is the fuel for life itself, I'm sure you know this, Cortex." Uka Uka said, whirling around. "I want to see this for myself. Get your permission slip, Cortex, we're going on a field trip!"

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_Stupid Slash..._ Nina groaned as everyone except the Komodo Brothers and Papu Papu (someone had to keep an eye on the castle) were gathered near the temple. _It's because of him that I'm here._ Nina was slightly angry that the boy had informed Cortex, who informed Uka Uka, who declared that almost the entire group into going, not able to sense if threats were nearby. What few Titans were left after their latest plan were wasted by Tiny, Dingodile, and Ripper Roo.

"We're getting closer now, the radar's starting to act up a bit." Slash said from the front. Nina scoffed. That was a Nintendo DS that was stuck on a single screenshot, making it look like a radar. Something was up...But she just didn't know what.

"Excellent." Uka Uka growled as he floated a little ahead. "With this power source, we'll be able to build a Doomsday Weapon of mythical proportions."

_Yeah, keep telling yourself that._ Slash thought with a smirk as the corridors ended and the top of the temple came into view. A huge pool of Mojo sat in the middle, running off of four channels into the rest of the world. Nearby was the source of Slash's desires.

"Well? Where is it, Slash!?" Uka Uka was getting impatient.

"Hold on. I know it's here somewhere." Slash said as he walked toward the ruins of Crash's fight with the Yuktopus. He reached into the ruins with his metal hand, and pulled out a blood red gem.

"A gem? That's not powerful." Uka Uka snarled. "Stop playing and show us where the source of your readings are!"

"I'm afraid I've been a big fat evil liar, Uka Uka. There is no item of power here, but there is a method to getting it. But I'm sorry to say that only I'm getting this power."

Uka Uka roared and flew at the traitor, but Slash dodged and grabbed the mask, throwing him down to the ground and stomping on his face several times. "Aren't you supposed to be the second-greatest force of magic on the planet? The makers of the Elementals and all that?"

"I AM THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THIS UNIVERSE CHILD!!!!!" Uka Uka bellowed trying to wiggle his way out from under Slash's foot.

"If that's so, then how come I'm stomping you into the ground, you pathetic piece of plywood?" Slash said calmly as he lifted his foot slightly, and then kicked Uka Uka away. The mask hovered to a stop in mid-air before slowly going back to Cortex's side. "Besides, I think you'd like me more, seeing as how I'm about to defeat every one here, and then the Bandicoots, and then the world."

"Yeah right! Even with both the Mojo and the Gem's power, you wouldn't be able to beat everyone!" Tropy spoke up.

"Oh? Then watch this." Slash walked toward the Mojo pool, and dropped the gem into the glowing blue liquid. Instantly, bright blue electricity shot around the pool, all centering on the spot where Slash had dropped the gem. "Still think me a liar now?" Slash's grin slowly grew more demented as the electricity grew brighter and more powerful. And then, just as fast as it happened, it stopped.

"What's going on here?" Cortex asked, his raygun out and ready to zap the teenager on the other side of the pool.

"That's your problem, Cortex. Lack of information. When you hatch a plot, you never take all sides of the powerful artifacts your're using into consideration. The history of Crystals and Gems is rich, as I'm sure you and Uka Uka know. Crystals were made by the gods, many million years ago. Using the infinite energies of the cosmos, they made our planet. Earth. But they needed something to keep it alive, to keep it flourishing, and habitable. So they made the Crystals, and they needed something to make those, so they created Mojo, which, when under high pressure, forms Crystals. And all was well. But then, the Crystals began moving out of control. Volcanoes erupted, tidal waves crashed against the land, and earthquakes rocked the landscape.Two old shamans well-versed in the ways of the gods, created the Elemental Masks from the excess energy of the Crystals and Mojo. But it was not enough. The masks didn't obey you, and caused even more destruction." Every head was looking at Uka Uka now, who was radiating a dark red aura that ensured Slash's death. "So you and your 'goody two-shoes' brother prayed to the gods, and they gave you the Gems, baubles with high amounts of power that would only increase as the Crystals continued to be used, siphoning off the excess energy. While I was at the Academy of Evil, I learned much. But the mechanics of the gems and crystals was something I didn't know. So I tracked down one Nitrous Brio."

"WHY THAT LITTLE TRAITOR!!" N. Gin cried from his mech.

"He had no idea what I was up to, and besides, he doesn't work for you anymore, so it doesn't matter." Slash grinned maliciously as a dark shape was visible in the pool. "Crystals, although they fuel this planet, don't fuel individual persons. But when gathered in small numbers, usually in the mid-20s, they can power the greatest of machinery. Gems are different. Completely useless in all forms except sealings and siphoning off the fuel of Crystals. But when gathered in high numbers, they can give someone the energy to destroy the planet."

"You fool!" Uka Uka yelled. "If you destroy the planet, you'll die too!"

"Exactly. I have no intention of destroying. Just ruling. That's why I only have one gem. With this, I will show my power and defeat those bandicoots, and soon after, take over the world." Slash grinned and wiggled his fingers. "With all of the powers of the Mojo and the excess energy of the Crystals inside this one gem, I will be the most powerful being on this planet!" He then drew in a breath, and then let out a bout of maniacal laughter.

Nina was frozen. The entire time Slash had worked with them, she never considered his capacity for Evil. And with this new development, she stood in awe at his masterminding...How he planned this excessively, and exactly how much research he had to do to make this plan work. But he was a traitor. And traitors had to go down.

"Why you..." She was cut off as Cortex stepped forward, Tropy and N. Gin at his side.

"You won't get away with this, you evil child!!" Cortex yelled.

"Yes...evil...It's my alignment...my allegiance, but it's not who I am. Like any person, I have feelings...But I crushed my hopes for exploring them further.

"Is he talking about me?" Nina muttered as she flashed back.

_"Do you...care for someone?"_

_"...No."_

_"Really? No one at all?"_

_"...No."_

"It doesn't matter any more...With this power at my command, the world will do as I see fit!" He then reached in with his biological hand...

"Don't you fool!" Uka Uka yelled. "The power of the Mojo would burn your hand clean off!"

"In that case..." Slash grinned and removed his biological hand...and then plunged his mechanical claw in to the pool. Immediately, the blue electricity flared up again, and as Slash grabbed the gem submerged in the Mojo, a black fire surrounded his wrist. Apparently, that wasn't supposed to happen, as Slash immediately started screeching in pain.

"MARKUS!!" Nina yelled out.

"Something's wrong here..." Lockbolt scratched his hairless head. "There's some kind of dark magic that's reacting badly with the Gem, the Mojo, and his robotic hand." But just as quickly as it began, it ended. Slash slowly let his hand out of the pool. It wasn't gripping the gem, but it had turned an angry red color. Slash grinned as he examined it, and Nina noticed his teeth had turned sharp, and...silver? She then jumped as the metal raced up his arm, and stopped at his shoulder joint.

**"Poor, foolish Markus."** Slash said in a voice that wasn't his own. **"He left one factor out of his little plan."** The metal hand reached for Slash's sunglasses, and tore them off. His eyes had turned pure black, with nothing to know he was capable of sight except for two glowing red circles. **"Don't trust robotics."**

**  
**"What's going on here!?" Tropy yelled.

**"Slash did something wrong. When he made that arm of his, it was completely unnecessary for him to have it. He wanted to be rid of all emotions...But he didn't mean it. So he gave the arm artificial intelligence." **The monster grinned, showing it's sharp silver teeth once again. **"And...Well, you can guess what happened once he dipped his hand into the pool. But that doesn't matter now...Now who wants to die first?" **

Nina was terrified. Slash had become...a monster.

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A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while, got my internet back, so I spent my time reading fanfiction. Sowwy. Anyway, next chapter, I wrap things up. Then it's an epilogue of sorts. Peace!


	6. Affection Acknowledged!

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I would've finished this a long time ago, but I had to get a new computer cuz my old one got all virus'd. Anyway, hope you enjoy the battle and its conclusion. The epilogue will come soon after.

Disclaimer: Do I look like I own Crash Bandicoot to you? If I did, I'd sell it to JenL because she has awesome ideas. I do own Slash though. JenL also owns Lockbolt, and anyone else who isn't a Crash character or Slash, such as the three new people you see at the end of the chapter.

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Nina was frozen in fear. The creature Slash had become was grinning at them maliciously.

"We may not be the stronger ones here, but we'll beat you into submission!" Cortex yelled as he raised his blaster.

**"Foolish Cortex. When will you learn? I am stronger than you can EVER hope to be." **The teenaged monstrosity said maliciously.

"We'll still take ya, mate!" Dingodile grinned as he raised his flamethrower. "Tiny! Let'sgive 'em the ol' Alley-Oop!"

Tiny roared and jumped to the front. "Yes! Tiny and Dingodile CRUSH Slash!"

**"Let's see if that theory holds true..." **Slash grinned as he ran forward, dodging Dingodile's fireballs, and punched Tiny in the gut. The tiger roared in pain as Slash kept jamming his fist into Tiny's stomach. And then, Slash backed up and laid a vicious uppercut to Tiny's jaw, sending him straight up. **"And now...The coup de grace!" **He yelled as he jumped up to Tiny's height and laughed as he performed a barrage of punches all over Tiny's body. The tiger was too slow to block and could only take the onslaught. Right before they hit the ground, Slash raised his metal hand and smashed it into Tiny's chest. The impact left a small crater, and Tiny was knocked out.

"Why you...YOU MONSTAH!!" Dingodile yelled as he aimed his flamethrower. "Break out the buttah...Cuz you're gonna be TOAST!!" He fired several balls of fire, only for Slash to dodge them by turning and twisting his body. "Oh yeah? Well take THIS!!" The hybrid flipped a switch on his flamethrower and then held the trigger down. A large stream of fire erupted from the barrel, which Slash ducked under, and when Dingodile followed his movements, he rolled, flipped, and jumped outta the way. "Enough! I didn't think I'd have to use this...But it's time for the Supernova!!" He flipped several switches and pulled the trigger. A humongous ball of flames shot at Slash, who grinned and raised his metal hand at the orb as it drew near him. "It's no use, mate. That thing burns with over half of my fuel. You can't deflect it."

**"Are you sure?" **Slash asked as the ball stopped moving under the force he was exerting. **"My claw can take temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees without the slightest sign of overheating."** He then lifted the fireball up, and with a flick of his wrist, sent it into the sky. **"Now, to deal with you." **He then ran at the hybrid and right when Dingodile was about to shoot again, he disappeared.

"What? Where'd he-"

**"Boo."** Dingodile's eyes widened as Slash grabbed the pressure valve to his flamethrower and rapidly began turning it right. Dingodile tried to thrash away, but the damage was done. Alarms sounded as the hybrid quickly tried to take it off his back, but he was too late.

BOOM!! Dingodile, covered in soot, flew through the air and landed with a thud next to Tiny.

**"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" **Slash cackled. **"They made that too easy! It was so simple to leave them unguarded and to take advantage of the situation." **

"Why you little..." Nina rolled up her sleeves, but a gray claw stopped her.

"No, Nina. Let Ripper Roo and I handle this." Lockbolt crossed his arms as he glided forward, Ripper Roo laughing and hopping right behind him.

**"At last...The pair whom I've REALLY been looking forward to fighting. Ripper Roo's less predictable, and Lockbolt's smarter than the last two, so maybe you can actually DODGE an attack before your beaten." **The monstrous teenager said as he rubbed his wrist.

"The only one being beaten is you! Ripper! GET HIM!!" The kangaroo-thing laughed and launched itself toward Slash, who deftly dodged its attack, only to have Lockbolt rake his claws across his chest.

"They got him!" Nina yelled, punching her fist in the air. The onslaught continued for a few minutes, until Lockbolt lunged, which Slash dodged, and then Ripper Roo hopped onto his back, making him fall, and then hopping up and down on him repeatedly, making his claws go into Slash's back.

"Poor Slash..." Lockbolt grinned as the body stopped moving. "What happened to all that power you said you had?" He then noticed that the body was convulsing...Raising an invisible eyebrow, he drew closer, which is when he heard muffled sounds that sounded like...LAUGHTER??

"**That's enough of going easy on you." **Slash grinned as he hopped up, his wounds already scabbed over. **"Congratulations, you two, I didn't think I'd have to use this, but you proved me wrong…ABRAKA…!"**

"DON'T LET HIM FINISH THE INCANTATION!!" Tropy yelled.

"**DOOM!!" **There was a small explosion of red light, and when it faded, Slash was gone.

"Where'd he go…?" Lockbolt's eyes narrowed as he looked around, until he laid eyes on Ripper Roo. "RIPPER, LOOK OUT!!" It was too late. Slash had grabbed one of Ripper's feet and slammed the kangaroo into the ground, repeatedly, until his tail stopped moving. When he released him, Ripper Roo was knocked right out.

"**You should feel privileged." **Slash grinned at the gargoyle and flexed his metal fingers. **"You will be the first to truly witness my power. First you shall see, then you shall DIE!!"**

"I'm not afraid of you, Slash!" Lockbolt scowled as he crouched down into a fighting stance. "I eat humans like you for breakfast!"

"**Now THERE'S some fighting spirit." **Slash grinned at the gargoyle. **"Well, LET'S GET IT ON!!" **And then it began. Slash and Lockbolt blocked each other's attacks for some time, neither gaining a hit on the other. Until Slash went for a sweep kick, which Lockbolt jumped over, only for Slash to regain his footing and slammed Lockbolt into the ground. When the gargoyle stood up, Slash was gone. He turned around, having seen this trick before, only for Slash to grab Lockbolt's head with his metal claw. **"Hi there." **He then slammed Lockbolt's head into the ground. When Lockbolt tried to stand again, Slash flipped in the air and performed an axe kick to the gargoyle's head, causing it to bounce off the ground. Lockbolt didn't get up again.

"WE'RE SCREWED!!" N. Gin yelled hysterically from his mech.

"Oh, no we're not!" Tropy replied as he readied his tuning fork. "If we all attack him at once, we can probably catch him off-guard and beat him."

"Right. Nina, stay back. I don't want you getting hurt. N. TEAM, ATTACK!!" Cortex yelled as N. Tropy, N. Gin, and himself rushed in.

"**How delightful." **Slash said as they came at him.

Nina watched in awe. She had expected the N. Team to beat him to a pulp. But instead, Slash was contorting his body to almost impossible angles (She could've sworn she heard numerous cracks from his spine, but he didn't seem troubled) in order to avoid their attacks. Finally, when Cortex fired a charged shot at Slash, he smacked it aside and made it hit N. Gin. Taking advantage of their stunned state, Slash rushed towards Tropy and smacked his weapon away before tearing apart his armor. With Tropy defenseless without his weapon or armor, he fell easily. Cortex was badly burnt by ricocheted blaster shots when he finally fell, and N. Gin's mech was torn to pieces when Slash finally tossed him out, the missle-headed man falling on his head.

"**That was fun. And now, my final obstacle…" **He grinned as he turned to Nina.

"Slash…Back away. I don't wanna hurt you." She steeled herself as she raised her hands. Slash threw back his head and laughed.

"**AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! HOOHOOHOO!! THAT WAS RICH!!" **Nina's eye twitched as Slash's hilarity calmed down. **"Lady, you couldn't hurt me if your life depended on it." **He then rushed at her, and Nina tried throwing her arms at him, only for him to duck under them and attempt a straight punch at her jaw. Nina shut her eyes and prepared herself to be tossed into the air and then beaten mercilessly as she fell, but nothing happened. Slowly opening her eyes, Nina was amazed to find Slash's metal fist inches from her jaw, but not actually touching.

"What the…" The fist was withdrawn, and Slash tried to punch with the other hand, but this time, Nina didn't shut her eyes. It happened again. His fist just…stopped…a short distance away from her face. Slash roared with rage and continued trying to hurt her, only to stop at the last possible moment.

"**WHY CAN'T I HURT YOU!?" **Slash yelled as he slumped down, catching his breath.

"Because…Slash is still in that mind of yours somewhere!" Nina released her arms, socking Slash right in the jaw, launching him back to the edge of the pool. Nina quickly tackled him and grabbed the metal arm, which was flailing wildly, and punched it. Surprisingly, a hatch on the back of the hand opened, and a red liquid mass was seen writhing inside. With absolutely no thoughts on her mind, Nina detached the hand and held it over the Mojo pool. The second what had once been the gem touched the Mojo, it exploded, throwing Nina back. Luckily, the arm was unharmed. She looked to Slash, only to see that he was knocked out, and back to normal, if the state of his left arm (Which was handless, but otherwise flesh) was any indication. She smiled softly and reattached the hand, which twitched, but otherwise didn't move.

It wasn't even 5 minutes before Slash woke up, clutching his head. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing that they had gone back to their normal electric blue color.

"Ow…Someone catch the number on that steamroller that hit me?" He mumbled, before noticing the unconscious bodies of the rest of the N. Team. "Oh. I remember now. I guess that means that Nina's behind me, waiting to see if I go berserk again."

"How'd you know?" Nina asked as she walked into his field of vision.

"Well, you were the only unconscious body I didn't see, and it's just common sense to hide behind a maniac if he's been incapacitated." Slash replied. "You seen my shades?" Nina handed him the sunglasses, which he put on carefully, once again shielding his eyes from view. "Thanks." He stood up calmly, dusting off his jeans and looking around him. "Well…This was an unforeseen turn of events. Looks like I'll have to lay low for a while. See ya." He waved as he turned and walked away, pressing a button on his mechanical wrist.

"WAIT!!" Nina yelled. Slash stopped. "You said before…That you felt something for someone before…Who was it?" Nina's eyes narrowed as Slash blushed and pulled at the collar of his shirt.

"If I tell you, do you promise not to get mad?"

"Yes, now tell me!!" Nina stomped her foot angrily. Slash shrugged and walked forward, making Nina raised an eyebrow until he was right in front of her…And then yelped as he grabbed her by the shoulders and put his lips to hers. Nina's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, before fluttering closed.

'_My GOD, this guy knows how to kiss a woman.' _Nina thought as Slash slowly released her with a tiny grin.

"You." He then turned and walked away. Nina growled as she released her arm to grab Slash's shoulder. "Yes?" To his surprise, the hand twisted and grabbed his collar.

"You think you can leave me hanging, and then after you knock out everyone I know, kiss me, tell me you like me, and then just walk away like nothing happened? Well, let me tell you something, buster!" The hand retracted, pulling Slash with it. "You're wrong." She then grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him.

This time it was Slash's turn to have his eyes widen. He didn't expect NINA to kiss HIM. That was just plain out of left field. Slash quickly kissed her back. She released him rather quickly.

"Uh…" Slash's dazed look put a smirk on Nina's face, but right now, he needed a reprimanding.

"Look, MARKUS." Slash flinched as Nina inched closer. "I don't like being manipulated, so if you're just doing this to piss me off or let you go without a hitch, I swear to whatever god exists that by the time I'm done with you…Well, suffice it to say you'll taste splinters for a week."

Slash grimaced at the very thought. "Listen, Nina…I do like you. More than you know, as a matter of fact. You don't wanna know how awkward it was in the Academy of Evil to have a crush on a girl two years younger than you." Nina blushed and Slash allowed a tiny smirk to appear on his face. "So, I hope you'll let me be your…significant other."

"What about them?" She pointed to the still knocked out bodies of her comrades.

"Like some of my friends always say: "What they don't know can't hurt 'em." He walked to the edge of the temple. Looking down on the ground almost a half-mile below. "Ah, good. My ride's here." He then turned back to Nina and grasped her hands, pulling her to him and laying a feather-light kiss on her lips before placing something in her hands. "I've gotta go now. Take care, Nina-chan. Drop me a line sometime." And with that, he jumped off the edge, and when Nina looked over. He was riding what looked like a four-seater hover cart, which was already full of three people. There was what looked like a floating trailer trailing behind them, and Nina had no doubt it contained all of Slash's things.

"Hey Slash!" One particularly tall one grinned from the backseat (Slash had hopped into the passenger side front seat) "How was your vacation?" The guy had light brown hair that stood almost straight up, and a slightly maniacal expression. He wore a black shirt that was tattered at the sleeves and flannel green pants in a similar state.

Slash looked up, smirking. "Just fine, Henry. Just fine."

"Let's get a move on. We don't have all day." From what Nina could see of this girl, she had darker hair than Henry, but it was lighter than Slash's, long and propped up in a pony-tail, her bangs hid one of her eyes from view, and when she turned to glare at Slash, Nina saw him flinch as if someone punched him. "Especially since SOMEONE forgot the plan and decided to play KISSY MC-SMOOCH-ALOT with the girl, which caused us to be late!" She didn't yell, but her tone indicated she was NOT a happy camper.

"Guilty as charged, Jessica. But you can't exactly beat me up for it, since you're driving." Slash grinned as the girl named Jessica mumbled a barely restrained curse and turned back to pay attention to the road…sky…whatever.

A kid with green skin, slitted eyes, similarly green hair, and single sharp tooth jutting out of his mouth leaned forward. "So, Slash…Was she any good?" The vehicle stopped, and both Slash and Jessica turned and bopped him on the head. "OW!! What was that for?"

"For being a pervert…" Slash began.

"For intruding on people's private lives…" Jessica continued.

"And for insinuating that Nina and Slash slept together, PJ!" Henry grinned. PJ frowned and sat back.

"Let's get out of here. Professor Igma's gonna yell at us for not doing our homework." Slash groaned. "Summer School sucks." The car then took off.

Nina frowned as she looked at the paper in her hand and slowly unraveled it. She smirked as she read the writing though.

_555-2957_

_439 Cordova St. 11990_

_Drop me a line sometime, Nina-Chan._

_Slash :3_

Nina shook her head slightly as she pocketed the note. Oh, she'd drop him a line alright.

"Ugh…" Right after she helped her group regain consciousness and go home.

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A/N: In case you were wondering, those three people are Slash's classmates, and were also created by JenL. I'd like to think that Slash gets along decently with them. And since she didn't elaborate very much on PJ's personality, I decided to give him a bit of a perverted side. XD

Well, next chapter's the epilogue. This is Psycho the Hedgehog, PSYCHING OUT!!


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